Spring break raises concerns over COVID-19 for schools

ATWOOD, Tenn. — The good news for West Tennessee: COVID-19 cases are on the decline and schools throughout the region have had few issues going back in-person.

But an upcoming spring break could complicate things.

“COVID is still out there. We were concerned at fall break, Thanksgiving break, Christmas break, so yes, I’d say we still do have some concerns right now,” said West Carroll Director of Schools, Dexter Williams.

West Carroll’s spring break is at the end of the month, and the prospect of students and their families travelling means school officials will be diligent when they come back.

That means sticking to the protocol they have now.

“Quite honestly, I think families are still going to do what they want to do. If they have plans to travel, I don’t expect they’re going to change that because of COVID. I think they’ll still go and go on family vacations,” Williams said.

“We must continue practicing social distancing, continue to take temperatures, continue to encourage students and teachers: if you’re feeling sick, stay home,” Williams said.

Williams says student quarantines aren’t the main issue, it’s when teacher have to quarantine or isolate that the school has to temporarily shut down.

“We face the same problem every school district across the nation faces: It’s hard to find subs, and when you can’t cover classes, you can’t have school,” Williams said.

As the cases continue to drop across the counties, school administrators are confident they can finish out the year on a high note.

“We had a very successful first semester handling COVID and keeping the doors open. So now that the numbers are actually way lower than they were back then, I have every confidence that we will finish the semester without any major hiccups,” Williams said.

Williams reiterates that masks are not required at West Carroll, but they are encouraged.